U.S. envoy for North Korea policy to retire

A top U.S. diplomat overseeing North Korea policy is retiring, the State Department confirmed Monday, a decision that could further hobble U.S. efforts to pressure Pyongyang to give up its nuclear arsenal.

The departure of Joseph Yun, expected Friday, also is likely to raise more concerns about a thinning of the ranks at the State Department, where many top officials have quit since the start of the Trump administration.

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Yun, who joined the foreign service in 1985, has been serving as the U.S. special representative for North Korea policy. He is a well-regarded diplomat tackling one of the toughest assignments in the U.S. government.

Yun did not respond to a request for comment as to why he is leaving now. But CNN quoted him as saying the decision was "completely" his own. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had accepted Yun's resignation "reluctantly."

The Trump administration is spearheading a global campaign, primarily using sanctions, to push Pyongyang to end its nuclear weapons program. But the White House also is reportedly considering a pre-emptive military strike on North Korea, an action many experts and officials warn could result in a catastrophic number of deaths if Pyongyang retaliates.

Tillerson has pushed for talks with the North Koreans, and President Donald Trump has in recent months indicated an openness to that idea. North Korea, which participated in the recent Winter Olympics in South Korea, has also given signs it may agree to some talks. As a U.S. special representative, Yun would have played a major role in such talks.

Last year, Yun helped negotiate the release of Otto Warmbier, a young American held prisoner in North Korea. Warmbier was evacuated to the U.S. in June in a vegetative-like state, with brain damage, and died soon afterward.

Yun's retirement also comes as the United States lacks an ambassador in South Korea. Victor Cha, an expert on the Koreas who served in the George W. Bush administration, was the leading candidate for that position, but he was dropped, reportedly after expressing concerns about the idea of a pre-emptive military strike.

Nauert said that although the State Department is sorry to see Yun retire, "our diplomatic efforts regarding North Korea will continue based on our maximum pressure campaign to isolate the [North] until it agrees to begin credible talks toward a denuclearized Korean Peninsula."

Yun is one of many high-ranking diplomats who have retired or otherwise quit under Tillerson.

Tom Shannon, the undersecretary of state for political affairs and the highest-ranked career official at the department, announced a few weeks ago that he will retire once his replacement is ready to take over.

The secretary of state has left numerous leadership positions at the State Department unfilled since taking over 13 months ago. Critics fear Tillerson, a former ExxonMobil CEO, is trying to hollow out a critical institution and that the damage to U.S. diplomacy could last years. Tillerson has acknowledged he's been slow to fill many jobs, but he has said those positions are being handled well by other U.S. officials in an acting capacity.

Yun, who has degrees from the University of Wales and the London School of Economics, has held several roles during his diplomatic career, including serving as U.S. ambassador to Malaysia.